Waiting for Him
by Goopy Sentimentalist
Summary: Tifa and Cloud have dinner reservations, but Cloud's late.


Waiting for Him

Disclaimer: I don't Final Fantasy, the characters, etc.

BIG HUGE thanks to my beta reader Moira!

The rain poured down in sheets as Cloud raced his way back to Edge. Large pools of water formed on the road, occasionally makingFenrir's tires fishtail. A wayward chocobo ran across the road, just as a puddle came up. Cloud gasped and tried to dodge it, sending a splatter of mud into the air. "WARK!!!" came the indignant response from a now splattered chocobo. Cloud managed to stop, checking his pockets to make sure the package from Kalm was safe.

--

_He had left early in the afternoon. "You'll make it back in time, right?" asked Tifa. She stood against the wall of her bar, watching as he put his swords in their respective compartments. _

_"I'll do my best," said Cloud. _

_Although Cloud still did deliveries, he had been back at the bar for awhile, helping out. But tonight was special; the two were going out to dinner. It had been in the works for several weeks now and a delivery had come up that Cloud couldn't miss out on. She looked up at the sky, seeing the mottled grey clouds looming over them. _

"_Looks like it's going to rain," Tifa observed. "Be careful, okay?"_

--

After a few more hours, and several more incidents, the rain had died down. He squirmed in his shirt, the fabric itchy with mud. His PHS rang. Cloud fished it out of one of his pockets and opened it.

"Spikey, where are ya?" came Barret's voice.

"On my way," said Cloud.

"Teef's been waitin' forya," said Barret. "She's already dressed and everything."

"I'll be there soon," said Cloud.

"Spikey, if you don't show-," Barret began to warn but the PHS cut out. The battery was dead. Cloud shoved it back into his pocket. He already felt guilty. They had agreed to dinner at seven, and it was already six. He still had at least an hour and a half, and that was in the best of conditions. Looking at his surroundings, he found no mountains or forests to go through. It was just flat road, as far as the eye could see, for now. Though there were still puddles, they weren't as large as before. Cloud upped the speed, trying to cut as much time off the trip as possible.

--

Today, the bar was closed. Tifa had spent the day giving the place a thorough cleaning. But around five, she started getting ready, too excited to do anything else. She sat at one of the barstools, wearing a black dress. Her long hair was brushed out and shiny. Marlene had helped her pick out a necklace, a strand of tiny red beads that went nicely with her eyes. Barret was busy pacing in front of her. He was visiting his adopted daughter and agreed to take care of the kids while Cloud and Tifa were out.

It was now 6:45.

"Where is he?" asked Tifa. She checked her own PHS for the fifth time in a single minute. She sighed, her stomach growling. "Tell him I left already," she said, getting up. _I can't miss this reservation_. The restaurant was a particularly posh place that had just opened. At least, posh for Edge. She walked down the street. "Ow!" she exclaimed, as her foot twisted in her high heel. She frowned; as a martial artist, it seemed rather shocking that she of all people would lose her balance. But today, her mind was on something else. Foot still aching slightly, she made it to the restaurant. The restaurant inside was distinctly a part of Edge, still having the gray walls, but everything was clean. The owner had put candles on the wall, covered by glass vases. They flickered and, in the low light, made the restaurant seem cozy.

"Reservation for Lockhart," she said. The maitre'd looked down in his book and found her name.

"This way please," he said. He sat her down at a booth up against the wall. The restaurant was almost completely full. She looked at the menu for a minute, then checked her PHS again. _Cloud, you promised…_ A waiter came by, and she ordered a glass of wine. Half an hour rolled by, and the seat in front of her remained empty. She tried calling Cloud, but it went straight to his voicemail.

--

_Why now?_ Cloud asked himself. He was almost at Edge, covered in dried mud. It had taken longer than he had expected. As a delivery boy, it seemed rather shocking that he of all people would misjudge the distance on a route he'd gone on several times before. But today, his mind was on something else. Finally, he managed to get into Edge and pulled up to the Seventh Heaven. He jumped off Fenrir and ran inside.

"Hey, where've you been?" Barret practically shouted.

"Yeah, Tifa already left," said Marlene. "Cloud, you're a mess." Not only was he muddy, but the humidity had caused him to be sweaty as well.

"Yeah, I know," he muttered. "I guess I'd better just-," he said, taking the box out of his pocket and setting it down. So much for dinner.

"You'd better just take a shower, you're wastin' time!" interrupted Barret. Marlene frowned and pointed upstairs. Cloud thought better of protesting, and with their glares at his back, he hurried to the shower. Barret relaxed, and walked over to the box and opened it. He snorted, then shook his head, smiling.

By the time he was clean and dressed, he was at least forty-five minutes late. Grabbing the box on his way out, he shot past Barret and Marlene, running all the way to the restaurant.

"Good luck, Spikey!" Barret called after him.

--

"Miss, will you be-?" asked the server.

"I'll wait," she said firmly.

"We have others with reservations," he reminded her. She was getting annoyed, not only with the waiter, but Cloud for putting her in this position in the first place. She'd eaten a basket of the bread they provided and then she had ordered her dinner, mentally throwing her hands up at Cloud's absence. _ Might as well have a nice meal while I'm here._

Unfortunately, she had ordered the large fettuccini Alfredo. The sauce was extra creamy and the pasta perfectly al dente. She had scarfed down the entire dish, not leaving a drop of the sauce behind. She was left with an empty plate and an uncomfortably full stomach. Suddenly, the door banged open. The whole restaurant looked over.

"There he is," she said. Cloud spotted her and ran to the table. The server looked at him with disdain.

"Drink, sir?" he spat out.

"Just water," he said. The server raised his eyebrows, but left the two by themselves. Tifa turned her gaze towards him. Her furrowed brows betrayed her chagrin, but they softened into a sigh.

"Tifa, I'm sorry," he said.

"It's fine," she said. Cloud looked at the empty plate in front of her.

"You ate already?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. She shook her head. "I'm not really hungry anymore, but you probably are." She frowned; a jolt of pain went through her stomach. Perhaps eating the entire fettuccini alfredo hadn't been such a good idea after all. Cloud looked at the menu; he was hungry and almost anything would do. But…

"I'll ask for the check, then," he said. "I'm not going to eat in front of you if you don't have anything."

"It's fine," she said, giving him the tiniest hint of a smile. Inside, she was touched that he would offer to not eat; after all, he had to have been hungry. She couldn't hold any more food, in any case. He smiled back awkwardly.

"Thanks for waiting for me," he said, after the waiter had come back with his water and taken his order. He had gotten small bowl of soup, hoping to finish it up quickly.

"Did you get everything delivered?" she asked. Cloud bit his lip and let his eyes drop to the salt shaker. She raised her eyebrows. "Well, did you or didn't you?" 

He looked uncomfortable, and Tifa started smelling the various aromas, like a slice of buttered bread, or a juicy steak. Although her stomach was filled to the brim, her nose seemed to be even more sensitive, picking up scents that would be so appetizing…if she had been the least bit hungry.

"No," he said finally. "Actually, I-," Suddenly, Tifa jumped up, her face etched with pain.

"Be right back," she said quickly, putting her hand up to her mouth. She sprinted to the bathroom, staying for several minutes. The server set the bowl of soup down in front of him and walked off without a word. He began to drink the soup quickly. Tifa returned, looking marginally better.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She shook her head, not wanting to open her mouth. Cloud's soup was…green. It was pea soup. Tifa had no idea Cloud liked pea soup. In any case, she didn't like it, especially right now. He pushed his water over to her. "I didn't drink out of it." She gratefully accepted it and sipped slowly. "Would you like to go?" he asked. She didn't look at him as she nodded. At that moment, the waiter came by. "Could we get the check?" he asked.

"Very well, sir," he said, and returned hastily with it. Cloud paid, then stood up. The two left, Tifa trying very hard to not smell the tray of food she had just passed by. The restaurant aromas disappeared; there was only the crisp night air. After a few minutes of walking, she felt good enough to talk.

"Let's not go back to that place," she said.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "Are you alright?" Tifa looked at his concerned face.

"Much better now."

"I'm glad, Tifa." They walked in silence for a minute.

"So you didn't finish your deliveries?" Tifa asked. "Are you going to do them tomorrow?" Suddenly Cloud stopped. Tifa turned back.

"I could finish tonight," he said.

"A little late, don't you think?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Cloud shook his head. She frowned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it. Inside, a titanium ring sat. There was no carving, no gem, nothing.

Her eyes widened and her hands shot to her mouth. "Tifa, will you marry me?" he asked. For a moment, she couldn't speak. But then a smile formed on her face.

"So this is what you were getting," she breathed. She looked at Cloud, who had a bashful smile on his face. He scratched the back of his neck, shifting from side to side. Tifa didn't reply immediately, letting him wait a little bit longer, just as he'd made her wait. He pulled on his collar, his face getting very hot. A drop of sweat dripped down his neck. But then she smiled.

"Cloud, of course I will." His shoulders relaxed, his body almost sagging in relief. He slipped the ring onto her finger. She took his hand in hers and they made their way back to the Seventh Heaven. As they walked, she thought back to the days that he had been unreachable, rooted to the past. She had moved forward in the meantime, but deep down, never letting that one hopeful part of her hold out a patient hand. And tonight, he had taken it.

_And I'm glad I waited for him._


End file.
